Alpha and Omega
by Royal Kitsune
Summary: No one can help the circumstances of their birth. What will one half-demon do when she learns that the so called terrible fate cast upon her has all been a lie fueled by the greed and ambition of one demon. With the help of an old friend she escapes her lie, and with the help of new friends she learns the truth. Can she change her life, or is it too late to go back now?
1. Fate is Cruel

**Howdy all!**

**Here is my second story. This is one is a bit darker than my other story, but I think you all will enjoy it.**

**For those of you wondering about my other fics, don't worry I will be keeping up with those.**

**This story is kind of a side project. So unless it gets an unbelievable amount of reviews, my main focus for now will still be on my first story until I wrap that one up. Some of you will notice that it doesn't say who the love interest is, and that is for a reason ;). I don't want to give it away so you'll just have to wait and see.**

**I think that's it for now.**

**So I bring you 'Alpha and Omega'.  
**

**Enjoy. ^^**

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**~Fate is Cruel~**

Murmurs weaved through the crowd as they awaited word from the placing ritual.

The placing ritual was a long standing tradition among wolf demons. Each of the four major wolf tribes carried them out in different ways, but the purpose was universal. At the age of twelve moons, the wolf cubs went through the ritual to decide where they would live out their lives among their pack.

In the western wolf tribe the ritual consisted of taking the pups away from the tribe into the Cave of Wisdom, where they would be tested by the current leader and highest elder. There were four possible outcomes for the ritual: pack members, betas, alphas and omegas.

Pack member was the most common result of the test, revealing that the pup was an average pup that would be able to serve their clan through hunting, mating with betas or other pack members to produce the future generation and fighting when necessary.

Betas were the second most common and showed that the pup had potential to be a good protector. Betas were most often the warriors and guardians of the pack and did very little hunting, but instead performed patrols and ensured that borders were not invaded. They were also able to mate among themselves and pack members to ensure a future for the tribe. A beta could become leader of the tribe if there were absolutely no alphas available to take over.

Alphas were rare. They showed courage and aggression as was needed by a good leader. Pups that were found to be alphas were placed in a separate grouping where they would begin to train to one day fight for the right to be of tribe leader. The alphas would compete to become leader, and those that lost would be mated off to another tribe that did not currently have an alpha mated to a beta. Alphas received four slashes across their left shoulder to signal their position and potential to lead.

Omegas were unwanted. It was the worst thing possible for a pup to be deemed an omega and a disgrace for the parents of the pup. When an omega was named, the parents of the pup would be denied the ability to produce more pups, for fear that they might give birth to another omega. While omegas were looked down upon, they were still allowed to stay in the tribe. Only rouges were cast out. They were used as servants to the clan. Omegas cleaned and cooked the food that the pack members caught, and could only eat once all others had been fully fed, even the pups. Omegas were not allowed to mate or have pups, but they were often used as concubines for the current leader or alphas if they were not yet mated, or given to another tribe that may be lacking omegas or needed something for their alphas to rut with. Omegas were not allowed to speak unless the leader or an alpha spoke to them directly. Omegas were given an 'X' over their right shoulder to mark their lowly position and submissive nature.

The western wolf tribe stood in a grouping at the edge of their dens waiting to hear word from the Cave of Wisdom. Tradition dictated that all must be present in the village, so that none tried to interfere with the ritual.

The tribe's main dens were located in a valley in the western mountain range that bordered the southern lands. The Cave of Wisdom was located at the top of the highest mountain.

"I don't hear anything. Maybe that means that both will be pack members." One of the wolf demons said anxiously.

"They haven't started yet, Mora. We haven't seen the red smoke yet." Another wolf demon responded with a snort as they squinted towards the highest mountain.

"What do you think they'll be? Both are the pups of alphas, or well…" The speaker's words trailed off as a pair of cold green eyes locked onto the speaker, silencing them with one hard, cruel look.

No one else dared finish the sentence, but instead made a point of not meeting the glare that scanned the crowd.

The owner of those eyes glared around at the other gathered wolf demons, daring them to finish what the original speaker had started. The owner of the eyes was a stout demon by the name of Siro, an alpha. Or he had been an alpha before events led to him being stripped of his alpha status.

Many moons ago Siro had been primed to take over the western wolf tribe.

_The current leader was aged and would soon be going to join the elders, and there was only one other alpha old enough to compete for the spot. The time for the competition came and went, with Siro easily winning the title of leader. He was to be announced the new leader at the next summer festival, which was to be held in eleven moons. The other alpha, Naru, was bitter at having lost and quickly came up with a plot to become leader at the next summer festival._

_Naru enlisted the help of a fox demon spell caster. He had the fox come up with a fertility potion that would impregnate the consumer by the next one to mate with them. Naru then kidnapped a human maiden, gave her the potion and brought her to edge of the tribe's lands. With it being mating season Naru knew that Siro wouldn't pass up the chance to rut with a human, since he did not yet have a mate, and he couldn't risk impregnating one of the tribe members without mating her first._

_As planned Siro fell for Naru's trap and rutted with the human. And as planned the human became pregnant. But Naru waited for the perfect moment to reveal this, wanting to make sure he completely disgraced Siro's honor and that there was no chance of Siro finding a way out. He secretly kept the human until she gave birth and then disposed of her. He waited until the summer festival to bring forth the child._

"_My pack, it brings me great joy to pass on leadership to Siro. He has proven to be a true alpha capable of leading this clan well." Feng announced from the entrance to the leader's den that stood above the rest of the dens. Feng's age was clear in the way that he could not stand up straight and standing next to the large and powerful Siro, it was obvious that it was time for a new leader. Siro stood beside the current leader, his chest puffed proudly as he looked down at the rest of the tribe that was looking up to him with approving eyes. "Kneel before me young one." Feng commanded. Siro was more than happy as he turned to face Feng and kneeled with his head down. "I Feng leader of the western wolf tribe step down and offer this alpha, Siro, as the new leader of the clan. Elders, do you approve?" He said his eyes lifting from Siro to a row of five elders standing off to the side. As a group they nodded and Feng returned his gaze to Siro. "With the blessing of the elders and the pack I proclaim Siro the new…"_

"_Siro cannot be leader!" Naru shouted as he stepped forward from where he had been standing among the other pack members. In his arms he carried a squirming, blanket covered bundle. He jumped from rock to rock until he was standing beside Feng at the entrance to the leader's den. "He has broken tribe law! Look!" He removed the blanket and raised his arms to show the gathered tribe._

_Loud gasp rose from the clan as they looked at what Naru was holding. In his hands was a small infant that squirmed with small barks and growls of protest. Yet it wasn't the infant that sent shock through clan, but instead it was what the infant _was_ that caused the murmurs. The two small black triangles on top of the infants head, green eyes, and its' scent was the cause of the stir. The child was a half-breed, and from the scent, it was Siro's pup._

"_Siro has sired a half-breed! Tribe laws clearly states to that one that gives birth to, or sires, a half-breed cannot become leader!" Naru stated as he shoved the child at Feng._

_Feng held the child and inspected it, from its two, twitching triangles to the black fluff ball of a tail that was flicking angrily and back to the blue eyes that only one other in the tribe possessed. When he leaned down to sniff the pup, it gave a small growl and snapped with baby fangs. The old wolf gave a sad smile as he recognized the pup's fighting spirit, and he knew without a doubt that this half-breed was Siro's._

"_Naru speaks the truth. It is Siro's pup and tribe law must be obeyed. I am sorry Siro, you cannot be leader, but you have a fine pup here." Feng said moving to hand the pup to Siro. "You can be proud, she seems…"_

"_Keep that filth away from me!" Siro growled as he stood and glared at the pup, who surprisingly gave its' own small glare back. "This is some sort of trick; I would not dare sire such an abomination!"_

"_It is no trick; we can all scent your relationship with this half-breed." Naru sneered with a smirk._

"_Siro this is your daughter, take her and teach her to be as good a tribe member as you have been. It was simply not your fate to be leader." Feng said softly._

"_I will do no such thing. That thing isn't mine. Throw it off the cliff for all I care." Siro growled, his muscles tensing and flexing as he fought to control his anger._

"_If you will not care for her then I will allow someone else to. Who will have this young pup, she has the fighting spirit that marks our clan." Feng said facing the gathered wolf demons. Half-demons were accepted by most of the clan, it was only by ancient law that the parent of one could not become leader._

"_I'll take her." One of the female wolf demons called out. Another round of approving murmurs went through the crowd. The female who had called out, Spring, had recently lost her mate and unborn pup in a border dispute with a southern boar clan, and it seemed only natural that she would be the one to want to raise the unwanted pup. "I can still produce milk and she will be cared for as if she were my own." Spring said as she stepped forward. "What is her name?"_

_Feng turned his eyes upon Naru, since he had obviously been the one to find the pup._

"_How should I know, I just found the runt." Naru said with a shrug._

"_This pup has ruined my destiny and her name will be Akuba." Siro growled before he stormed away from the dens._

"_Surely he cannot name his child 'curse'." Spring replied with sadness tingeing her voice._

"_He is the sire. If he says her name is Akuba then so be it." Feng said handing the now sleeping pup over to the female wolf demon._

"_Fine her name will be Akuba but I will call her Akemi because she is a beautiful pup. She cannot help the circumstances of her birth, but we will treat her as one of our own." Spring said and those around her murmured their agreement as they came over to welcome the new pup into the tribe. A few hung back with glares towards the half breed child that had cost them a chance to have the strong Siro as leader. It had been a wide spread thought that with Siro as leader, the western wolf tribe would become the strongest of the four wolf tribes._

"_Who will lead the clan now?" One of the wolf demons called out once the commotion had died down._

"_It's obvious, there is only one other who capable of leading this clan." Naru said stepping forward with a smile. _

"_But Naru lost the competition." Another wolf demon called out._

_Naru gave a harsh growl in the direction of the speaker before regaining his composure and speaking. "There are no other alphas among us and Feng has already declared he is stepping down. Would you rather have this clan go leaderless or bring in an alpha from another clan when you have one here?" He questioned, when no one answered he gave a short nod. "I thought so."_

"_Very well then, Naru, kneel before me." Feng said with a heavy sigh. He could tell his pack would be forever changed by the events of this night, he didn't know how yet but he could feel it wouldn't be good._

Now nearly twelve moons later, the tribe was gathered once again. Naru, who had already been mated and had a pup, now had a pup that had turned twelve moons, as well as Akemi.

Siro watched not because he cared what became of his pup, but because it was tribe law and even in his anger, even he wouldn't go against the tribe's laws. Somewhere deep in his hated filled heart he still saw himself becoming leader.

Before anything else could be said a loud growl could be heard and a puff of red smoke arose from Cave of Wisdom.

"It's starting." Spring said worried for the pup she had come to love as her own.


	2. Deception is a Liar's Ally

**Howdy!**

**Hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter. Thanks for the reviews, they make me all warm and fuzzy on the inside.**

**Not a lot to say so...**

**I bring you the next chapter of 'Alphas and Omegas'.**

**Enjoy! ^^**

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**~Deception is a Liar's Ally~**

Within the Cave of Wisdom two small pups sat in the middle of a ring that was surrounded in ancient symbols, whose meanings had long since been forgotten. The pups wore only black pelts around their waists with their black tails showing just a bit longer than the pelts. That is where the similarities ended. While one pup looked like the majority of the members in the western wolf tribe, the other pup was noticeably different. The most striking things were her blue eyes that shone in the dark cave and the two twin triangles that flickered on her head.

The only other thing within the cave was a bowl on the north side of the symbols. Standing on either side of the bowl were two older wolf demons, the leader and head elder. The leader glanced past the female pup with a snort of disgust and looked towards the male pup with a great amount of pride shining in his black eyes.

"Must it be here, it is a half-breed after all." Naru, the leader, grumbled. His disdain for the female pup had not decreased in the past year, though she was the main reason why he was able to become leader.

"She is a member of this tribe like all others, and she must go through the same ritual." The elder said from where he was kneeling as he mixed some herbs into the bowl. "It is time to begin." He said standing, cradling the bowl in his left arm. "As much as I dislike her true name, it must be used for the ritual." The elder said more to himself than the unsympathetic leader.

"Let's just get started so I can announce my son as an alpha." Naru said quickly.

The elder did not respond to the leader, but instead offered a tired sigh. He had too long seen the trouble Naru's leadership brought to his beloved tribe. Inwardly he could only hope that his son was either not an alpha or at least could grow to be a better alpha than his father.

"Raiku, Akuba." The elder called getting the attention of the male pup. "Akemi." He whispered to get the female pup's attention. "You have both reached your twelfth moon and it is time for your place within out tribe to be revealed. He dipped his right fingers into the bowl and motioned for Naru.

Naru turned both pups so that they were facing away from the elder. The male pup cringed and stayed turned away, his small brown eyes closed tightly. The female pup refused to stay turned and continued to try and turn back towards the elder, offering small growls until the leader gave a harsh warning snarl.

The elder gave a chuckle as he walked over to the pups and placed his fingers first upon the male pups back and brought them down so that five red marks went down the pups back. The elder then stepped over to the female pup and repeated the process. He stepped back out of the circle with Naru also stepping outside of the circle on the opposite end.

"Ancestors, guardians of the Moon Mother, please look upon these pups with kindness as we seek to welcome them into our clan. Now we ask that you show us what paths they must walk that you have laid out in the stars." The elder called, his eyes on a hole in the ceiling as the full moon became perfectly aligned with it.

The previously dimmed cave, exploded in a flash of white light as the moon illuminated the cave through the small hole in the roof. Raiku curled into the floor, giving out loud whimpers of fear and reached for his father, while Akemi gave playful growls and swipped at the moonlight with small claws. Naru growled angrily and made to stepped forward, but was stopped by the elder sharp voice. "You may not interrupt once it has begun." The elder warned.

The red markings on both pups' backs began to glow silver and glitter in the light. The markings started to move in a circle until both pups were individually encircled by what looked to be star dust.

The stars around Akemi rose above her and formed into a growling wolf that took off into the sky through the hole in the ceiling with the symbol for alpha showing in the sky before it disappeared into the wind.

The stars around Raiku formed into a crouching wolf that had its' tail tucked between its' legs before it took off into the hole in the ceiling with the symbol of omega glittering in the sky before the wind took it away.

The lingering sprinkles of silver faded from the cave as the moon moved out of position and the cave was once again plunged into near darkness.

"No!" Naru roared surging forward to grab his son once the ritual had come to a close, knocking over Akemi in the process. The female pup gave a bark of annoyance, but wobbled her way over the elder, apparently unfazed.

"I knew from the moment I first saw you and how you growled at Feng, you had to spirit of an alpha." The elder said picking up the female pup. "I'm glad for you Akemi. I hope that this can make your life a little easier." He said reverting back to the name her adoptive mother had given her. "Spring will be so happy to hear the news. She's been so worried these past few weeks about the outcome of the ritual because of your human blood." He said watching the female pup play with the remaining mixture in the bowl getting the red mixture all over her and some on the elder. He turned a saddened gaze towards the tribe leader that was holding his still whimpering son, by the arm, as if he were carrying a dead boar back to camp. "I am sorry Naru; I know this is not what you had hoped for. But our clan will still welcome him."

"No, the results are wrong!" Naru growled as he walked over to the elder. His aura flared with his anger, which only served to scare his own pup more and cause the now red female pup to give a growl. "The signs got mixed up. There is no way that my son is an omega and that filth is an alpha!"

"We both saw the signs clear as day and so did the tribe no doubt." The elder said with a sigh. He removed the bowl from Akemi's grip and placed it back on the stone floor. "We must go tell the tribe, they have waited long enough. Surely they will send someone up to see if we are alright if we do not return to them soon."

Naru moved quickly so that he was blocking the elder's path out of the cave. His movements were so quick that he nearly knocked the elder over. "You will tell them that my son was marked an alpha and the half-breed was marked the omega." He ordered.

"I cannot lie about what has happened." The elder responded with narrowed eyes. "I have a sworn oath to our ancestors to tell the truth. Besides it is already obvious in their acts and their true natures will only show the older they get."

"You can and you will if you value your life. I can train my son into the alpha he is supposed to be. Plus you know the tribe rule. I would be stripped of my title as leader if it were known my son was an Omega." Naru growled.

"You would kill me? Then so be it, but I will tell the tribe the truth first." The elder said pushing past the leader to the cave entrance.

"Kara is coming close to mating age, she'll be experiencing her first heat soon. I believe the southern tribe is looking for some more mating bitches." Naru said with a devious smile and the warning of his words clear in his snarling voice.

"You wouldn't dare! The south is full of brutes; they are the most savage tribe known! You would be condemning her to hell." The elder turned to face the leader with anger and disbelief clear in his aged eyes.

"You want to save your grandpup from such a fate; you know what you will do." Naru said narrowing his eyes. "We could never let a half-breed become leader, even if they were an alpha, it would be a disgrace to the tribe and wolf demons as a whole, so there is no use in saying she is an alpha. Plus it is would not be a shock to the clan for a half-demon to be marked an omega, they are the filth of the earth."

"You spare my granddaughter and I… I will tell the tribe what you wish for me to tell them." The elder said after a few moments hesitation with a resigned sigh.

"I'm glad you see things the way I do." Naru said as he led the way out of the cave and down to the entrance of the leader's den.

The leader handed his son to his mate and the elder handed over Akemi to her adoptive mother. Spring smiled at the pup covered in red and began wiping the mixture away with the furs wrapped around her wrists.

"How did it go?" She whispered quietly to the elder. Spring felt her heart drop as the elder glanced at her once with sad eyes, and then refused to meet her gaze again before he went over to stand beside Naru at the entrance to the leader's cave.

The tribe looked up to the elder expectantly. Excited and worried whispers went through the crowd as they had all see the alpha and omega symbols come from the cave. Most already had an idea of what the results were. The tribe had seen that Akemi had obviously inherited her father's fighting spirit, even if he refused to have anything to do with her; and many were familiar with the easily frightened son of the leader.

"As I'm sure you have all seen two symbols came from the cave, one signaling an alpha and one signaling an omega." The elder glanced over at Naru, who nodded, before continuing. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes silently praying to the Moon Mother to forgive him for what he was about to do. "Raiku was the one marked as the alpha and Akuba was marked as the omega." He announced earning gasps from the crowd.

Tears trickled down the cheeks of Spring as she looked down to the now dozing pup in her arms. She hadn't expected this. She had hoped the spirited little pup would be a pack member, maybe even a beta, but never had she wanted Akemi deemed an omega. Spring couldn't help but wonder if it was because of the pup's human blood, or maybe because she had a father that wanted nothing to do with her.

"Bring forth the ceremonial dagger and the water of the sea." The head elder said and other elders brought forward a solid black dagger, with a white bone grip and a bowl with salted water from the ocean. "Bring forth the pups." The head elder commanded.

Naru's mate proudly held out her son so that his left shoulder was facing the elder. Even she had been concerned for their son, but now she saw that her worry had been ungrounded. The elder hesitated, but was prompted by a low, warning growl from Naru. "Dear ancestors, please welcome Raiku as an alpha of the western wolf tribe. May he grow to be a strong warrior and a fit leader if you deem so." He said dipping the blade in the salted water and scoring four marks across the pup's left shoulder. The pup awoke with a loud cry that caused some of the tribe to flinch and look up in surprise. Alphas did not cry as the pup was crying.

"It is with a sad heart that I proclaim Akuba an omega of the western wolf tribe. She will be a faithful servant of the clan who shall learn her place as a submissive." The head elder said as he dipped the blade in the salted water again and placed an 'X' on the right shoulder of the female pup. She awoke with a snarl and lashed out with small claws. Again the tribe looked on in confusion. Omegas were submissive by nature and would never attack outside of life preservation.

"Mongrel." Naru said as he stepped up, sensing doubt spreading through his tribe. "Is it any surprise that my son is an alpha and the half-breed runt is an omega? And as is tribe law, the parents of the omega must be altered to ensure that they cannot produce more of these weak creatures." He said with look of triumph towards Siro, who was a glaring shadow at the back of the crowd, his cold blue eyes locked on Naru in defiance. "Since the mother is a human outside of our tribe we can only exact this punishment on one parent. That means you Siro. Betas you know what to do."

Siro growled in protest and many shrunk back as his aura flared, afraid he might lash out. "Do you think to humiliate me because of this runt I do not claim!"

Naru gave a snort of a laugh as he responded. "Whether you claim her or not, she is of your seed. We must ensure that your tainted seed does not contaminate this tribe any further. It is no wonder you were unable to become leader last summer. What good is a leader that not only produces half-demons, but omegas at that?" Naru said with a spit. "Betas!" Naru ordered though none of the tribe moved towards the enraged wolf demon that loomed over them all.

"You have already taken everything else from me Naru! I will not let you take what pride I have left." Siro snarled his aura flaring to a dangerous point before abruptly going back to normal as if nothing had happened.

"You know the law. Either you are rendered unable to pup again or you are exiled. It is your choice." Naru said with a deliberate punctuation on the final two words.

"Then exile me." Siro grunted and a wave of murmurs ripped through the assembled wolf demons, it was no secret that Siro was the strongest member of the clan. As Siro glared down the wolves around him, only another small pair of blue eyes would meet his with the same defiance he felt. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Siro realized if that retched pup hadn't been a half-demon that had ruined him, he would have been proud to call her his daughter, omega or not.

Not only that, but he knew that this pup was not an omega. Naru was lying, but he had no proof and the pack would not believe him over the word of the high elder and leader. Siro knew that Naru was only protecting his own hide and using the half-demon as a way to do so. What reasoning the high elder could have for the deception was beyond Siro, he had always noted that he high elder seemed to have taken a liking to the half-demon.

"So be it. Since you cannot abide by our laws, Siro, I, Naru, leader of the western wolf tribe exile you from our lands. You are now considered a rouge who will be killed if seen on this territory again. You have until sunrise to off of our land." Naru commanded.

All was silent as Siro held his head high and gave a nod. "Then it is done." He said walking to the edge of the dens, the wolves around him parting as if he were a large rock in a stream. He gave one last look over his shoulder glaring at the female pup that, in his mind, had been the cause of all this. "But let it be known that I will kill that abomination that has led me to this fate, then I will return and take my rightful place as leader of this tribe." He snarled raising his gaze to Naru with a cold calm and walked away from the dens.

No one moved until the hulking wolf demon had completely disappeared from sight. Whispers grew in volume until they were near shouts of hysteria. Many could not come to grasp with what had happened over the course of a few hours.

Yet during all the commotion, two blue eyes quietly watched Siro go and stayed locked on the spot where he had last been seen.


	3. When it Rains it Pours

**Howdy!**

**Just realized I haven't done this yet so let me do it now and hope I don't get in trouble:**

**I do NOT own Inuyasha, the characters, ideas and other things associated with the show. I DO own characters and ideas unique to this and any other stories that are written by myself.**

**There got that out of the way.**

**As some of you may be noticing I'm releasing this story and then releasing my other story's chapters the day after this one. So you can think of this story as kind of an opening act for my other one. :)**

**Thanks for the reviews, they make me happy.**

**I think that's it so I bring you the next chapter of 'Alphas and Omegas'.**

**Enjoy! ^^**

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**~When it Rains it Pours~**

It had been ten moons short of a century since the day Siro was banished from the western wolf tribe due to Naru's treachery. Many things had changed since then and most of it not for the better.

The tribe had come under constant attack from other nearby demons and even a few braver, and more reckless humans, once word that Siro the Strong was no longer the guardian of the tribe. While the tribe had managed to keep all attackers at bay it came with heavy prices. The tribe was losing members as a result of the battles, from both direct blows and infections of their battle wounds.

At first the tribe had seen Naru as the reason behind this. He had, after all, been the one that banished Siro. But Naru was clever and had quickly found a way to deflect the blame from him and onto another.

"_If you had not banished Siro, we would not be under continuous attack as we are now." One of the older betas called during a tribe meeting to the leader that was standing above them at the entrance to the leader's den._

"_Maybe we can go find Siro and ask him to come back. It has been eight winters since he left; maybe he has calmed and will agree to come back." A female pack member suggested. She was met with many murmurs of agreement._

_Naru's eyes narrowed as he listened to the tribe. He could not allow anyone to go after Siro. The leader was still cautious of the former alpha, and secretly feared for his life if that colossal wolf demon ever returned. Instead he racked his brain for anything to correct the situation before it got out of his control. _

_It wasn't until he spotted a pair of furry triangles making their way through the crowd of wolf demons that Naru figured out what to do. _

_Akemi was carrying firewood, to help the other two omegas prepare the kills that had been brought in from the morning's hunt. She shuffled silently careful not to make eye contact with any of the gathered wolf demons. She was now nine winters old and had begun her lessons in being an omega four winters ago. It had been hard at first as she had always felt the desire to fight and hunt, but was constantly reminded that it was not an omegas place, though occasionally she would slip up at the sight of the other tribe members sparing or practicing their hunting skills. Thankfully no one was especially mean to her and many thanked the omegas for what they did even if it was considered the lowest position in the tribe._

"_Akemi!" Naru's voice brought Akemi's eyes up in surprise as she heard her name, but she quickly lowered her eyes knowing it was especially wrong for her to meet the eyes of the leader._

"_What about Akemi!" Spring called out from the group as she made her way to stand beside her adopted daughter._

"_She is the reason for all of our woes!" Naru announced to the gathered group who looked at him with confusion._

"_How can one small pup be the cause of all these attacks?" A voice called out._

"_If it were not for her Siro wouldn't have had to leave. It was because she was marked an omega that Siro went against tribe laws. If she were not here, Siro may even be leader right now and we would be the most feared of all the wolf tribes. I did not ask to become leader, as you all know. But I was forced into the position after __**she**__ showed up." Naru said as he pointed an accusing finger at Akemi. Inwardly he smirked as mumbles of agreement and glares began to cast towards the female half-demon._

"_He's right!" One voice called out._

"_And to think we accepted the half-demon runt!" Another voice chimed in._

"_Remember when Siro left, he said he would return once the half demon was dead." Someone said causing more murmurs to spread through the tribe. _

"_Then we kill the half-demon and go get Siro back! Surely he'll return once she is gone." Yet another of the wolf demons said earning shouts of agreement to rise._

_Akemi shook slightly as she felt all of the angry stares locking on her. She didn't understand most of what they were saying but she knew the world 'kill', it was what they did to the prey they hunted._

_Only two of the wolf demons opposed this, though their reasons were different from each other._

_Spring wouldn't dare let anyone place a hand on the pup she loved. She had already lost one; she was not going to lose another, no matter what the tribe thought. She pulled the confused and slightly scared Akemi against her and glared at any who tried to get near._

_Naru glanced at Spring and knew he couldn't let the tribe kill the pup, even if he disliked the abomination. He cared not for Spring's feelings or the pup's welfare, but instead knew the tribe was right. If the half-demon was killed there would not be anything keeping Siro from coming back. He had only intended to shift blame from himself, not to bring that terror back._

"_Wait!" He called out gaining the tribe's attention again. "We cannot kill the half demon, no matter how much we may wish to."_

"_Why not!" One of the wolf demons called and was followed by a chorus of the same._

"_Because tribe law says that we may not take the life of an innocent no matter the circumstances. If we were to kill it the Moon Mother and her guardians would surely bring greater misfortune to us that we have already experienced." Naru reasoned._

_The tribe grew quiet; no one wanted to bring the wrath of the Moon Mother or her guardians on top of the misfortunes that they were already in the midst of._

"_Then what do we do?" One voice eventually pierced the silence only to be met with more of the same dense quiet. No one knew._

"_There is nothing we can do, but to pray that the Moon Mother will offer us her blessing and her guardians the protection to bring our tribe out of these dark times." Naru said his voice filled with false sincerity to all but the high elder that stood off to the side watching him with unveiled contempt._

_Only the high elder knew the real reason for the tribe's bad karma. But to protect his kin he had no choice but to remain silent as he felt the shift of the tribe's hatred fall upon the innocent and undeserving half-demon pup._

Since that day Akemi's life had taken a turn for the worse and had been steadily spiraling further and further down.

The tribe now hated her and its' members were very clear about their feelings. She was now an outcast in her own tribe. What made it worse, was that no one would tell her the reason they hated her.

She could only assume it was because of her human blood.

The only ones willing to talk to her, or acknowledge her presence without insult or injury, were her mother, the high elder, the other omegas and the leader's son, Raiku.

Her mother tried her best to ensure that Akemi felt some love in her life. Everyone had heard how half-demons were usually treated with nothing but hatred and it morphed them into hate filled creatures that sought nothing but destruction. This thought had been fueled as inaccurate accounts of the half-demon that was sealed to the sacred tree, spread throughout the land.

The high elder, the only one besides the leader who knew the truth, still treated Akemi as he always had. He pitied her as she had no idea of the true magnitude of the injustice that had been done to her. All he could offer her were prayers to the Moon Mother that one day she might be able to escape the fate that had been thrust upon her and find the fate she was born to have.

The other omegas were sympathetic towards Akemi, though even they watched themselves around her if others were watching. Only the other omegas could understand the pain of having the circumstances of their birth mapping out such a lowly life.

Then there was Raiku, the pup who had taken Akemi's title as she had been given his.

Throughout the years he had continued to confuse the tribe as they watched him mature into the young wolf demon he was now. His training was nothing like those of the other alphas he was training beside or those that had come before him.

He was often caught flinching away during battle training, instead preferring to run or dodge than to engage his opponents in head to head conflict. The only thing that saved him was that he had inherited his father's cunning, though thankfully he didn't use it for twisted purposes.

Raiku was her only friend though they always had to keep their friendship a secret.

"Hold up." Raiku called out.

Akemi and one of the other omegas were carrying piles of sleeping pelts and furs that many of the tribe used to keep from having to sleep on the hard stone and dirt floors of the dens. They had made it half way to the stream that ran a few miles from the dens. Both paused but neither one lifted their eyes as the alpha approached.

"Let me take these, Tyro." Raiku said as he came up beside the omegas. "Kovo said um… he wants you to come back to the dens."

The other omega, Tyro, gave out a sigh and an involuntary shudder. There was only one reason why that particular alpha ever wanted to see him. But he knew it was his duty as an omega and he couldn't refuse. Instead he offered a nod and handed the pelts and furs to Raiku before taking off at a jog back to the dens.

The remaining two continued towards the stream walking in silence. Neither one dared speak until they were sure that they were out of range of any prying ears.

"I'll take a look around." Akemi said as she placed the pelts and furs on a large rock by the lazily floating water. She leaped off, moving quietly and quickly within a few miles radius of the stream. Once she was satisfied with their privacy, she returned to the stream to see Raiku starting to line up the pelts. "You know you could get in a lot of trouble if anyone saw you doing an omegas job." She said and started to help him.

"And you would get in even more trouble for letting me do and for speaking to me without me speaking to you first." He said in matter-of-fact manner with a joking tone.

"True." She said with a shake of her head and a small smile. "How about I won't tell if you won't?" She suggested and was answered with a nod. "Good. So how has your training gone?" She asked.

"It's still terrible." Raiku groaned out and she could tell that he meant it. "Sometimes I wish I could be like you. Being an omega is the easiest job in the tribe."

"Oh yea? Try telling that to Tyro. I'm sure he would love to hear you say that." She responded with a snort. "This job sucks. All we do is cook, clean and you know." She couldn't hold back the slight shudder that ran through her spine as she thought of what Tyro was most likely being subjected to at the moment. Thankfully she wasn't considered old enough for that part of the omega job yet since she had yet to go through her first heat.

"Well ok, that part isn't easy but everything else is. I hate training and you know it, I've been telling you that since we were five winters old." Raiku said with a sigh as he finished lining the furs and watched her begin dipping them in the stream. "The hunting isn't all that bad, but we don't get to do much of that. All we do is fight, fight, fight, and to add some variety we fight some more." He said in a near whine as he sat.

Akemi rolled her eyes at her friend but she could relate to him. Personally she would have loved to train with the other alphas and learn how to protect the tribe. Instead she was stuck with the most menial jobs of the tribe. "But at least you'll have a chance to become leader one day."

"Don't tell anyone this," Raiku said a bit hesitantly but was met with a look that reminded him who he was talking to. "I don't want to become leader."

Only the slight twitching of her ears gave away Akemi's surprise, but she didn't say anything sensing that Raiku would tell her on his own time. So she waited in silence while he tried to formulate the right words to explain.

"Everyone expects me to become leader because my father is leader." Raiku started off hesitantly. "But have you seen the other two alphas? They're huge! Kovo and Izo are nearly twice my size and they're older than me. Not to mention they actually enjoy fighting. There is no way I can compete with them and I don't want to."

"Your father isn't all that big and he became leader." Akemi reminded him.

"But even he only became leader because something happened to the other alpha, or so the story goes." Raiku said with a wishful expression. "I wish I knew what happened to that other alpha, maybe I could do the same thing so I wouldn't have to do this anymore."

"The other alpha got banished remember." Akemi said as she finished lining each pelt in the water and came to sit beside Raiku, her eyes staying fixed on the dirt and dusk getting carried away by the water.

"But why? No one ever tells us why he was banished and they have to know. Everyone older than us was there when it happens. We were there but we weren't old enough to know what was going on. They just don't want to tell us." Raiku huffed. "Don't you think that's odd? Everyone else in the tribe knows, but they won't tell us."

"Maybe to you, but remember I'm an omega. No one tells me anything unless it's about cleaning or cooking something." She said with sigh. When Raiku's face grew more distressed she chimed in to make him feel better. "But I do know what you mean. I've heard a few people whispering about it but they always go silent when I'm around. I have a faint memory of him though. He was huge, bigger than Izo and Kovo. I can remember seeing him walking away, but that's it. I don't remember much else about it."

The two sat in a comfortable silence until the furs were clean. They began pulling the water heavy pelts and furs out and laid them on the giant rocks to dry from the sun's rays.

"Have you heard about the guy from the eastern tribe?" Akemi asked as they worked. "I heard he's the youngest ever to become a tribe leader. I think his name is Kouga." She said only to hear a groan from her companion. "What?"

"Don't bring him up. That's all I hear from my father. 'Why can't you be like that Kouga? He's going to make the eastern tribe stronger than us if you don't get it together.' I'm sick of this Kouga and I don't even know him." Raiku retorted with a sour expression.

"You may know him soon." She said with a sly smirk.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked.

"I overheard some of the elders talking while I was getting their bedding." She said.

"Well what is it?" Raiku asked as she stayed silent.

"The great elder is proposing a combining of all the tribes so that wolf demons can become the strongest demons in all of Japan. He's even making arrangements for his granddaughter to become Kouga's mate to join the northern and eastern tribes together." She responded with a glint in her eyes. "Do you know how good that could be? All four wolf tribes working as one. No one would ever be able to stand up to us."

"It will never work." Raiku mumbled earning a small glare from her. "You know I'm right. The southern tribe would never join forces with anyone; they have trouble getting along with each other. Then there is the fact of who will be leader if we all join together? My father isn't going to give up being leader and I doubt that Kouga guy would either."

"It's still a nice thought." Akemi said with a shrug.

"Nice but not realistic." Raiku corrected.

"Do you always have to be a thorn in the pelt?" She said with a roll of her eyes and a smile.

"Only when you let yourself get swept away with those crazy thoughts of yours." He said with a smile of his own. He watched her flip the pelts over on the drying rocks before speaking up again as he went to sit on a bare drying rock. "I overheard my father speaking about you." He said hesitantly.

"Why would he talk about me? It's no secret he hates me." She said with a huff, taking a seat and leaning against the rock he was sitting on, her head resting against his left leg.

"It's about mating season." He responded and felt her stiffen slightly, but remain otherwise undisturbed.

"What about it, other than that it starts in two months?" She asked already getting a sinking feeling in her gut as she could guess where this was going.

"He says it has been a long time since the tribe had a female omega and there are a lot of unmated males in the tribe right now, including all of the alphas." Raiku spoke slowly knowing that his words had his friend on edge and rushing to the point would only push her off. "There is an old tradition that he wants to implement."

"What is this tradition?" Akemi asked with her eyes closed.

"He intends to make you a Doqia." He said and answered her before she could ask the obvious question. "A Doqia is a special class of omega, reserved for females during mating season. The Doqia is given a special potion that prevents them from getting pupped during the mating season so they can…" He trailed off not wanting to continue.

"So they can be used by all of the unmated males as a rutting bitch." Akemi finished for him with a partial growl. "Your father wants to turn me into the tribe whore."

"I don't think he sees it that way. He just knows that it is something the tribe would benefit from." He said though even to him it sounded bad.

"I'm a member of this tribe, how is this good for me? Oh wait, I forgot as an omega I don't have any say or apparently any feelings, and especially as a half-demon omega." Her voice held all the bitterness she was not allowed to express around the rest of the tribe. "I've put up with a lot but I don't think I can do that."

Raiku knew his friends conflict. Akemi had always been extremely loyal to the tribe despite all that she had been through. He knew she loved the tribe and would do anything for it, well almost anything. He was going to come up with a plan to help her but for now all he could hope was to take her mind off of it. He had only told her because he felt she deserved to know about something so extreme that was about to happen to her.

"How about I show you some of the new battle moves I learned since we last trained. It's been almost a moon, I have a lot of tricks to show you that I know you'll like." He said standing up and reluctantly breaking contact with her. If there was anything that could cheer Akemi up it was showing her the battle moves he learned. She always seemed to appreciate them much more than he did.

As expected she perked up a bit, though her eyes were not as bright as normal. As he showed her the moves, he could only focus on her eyes that had lost some of their usual spark. She had been given bad news and she had become depressed before, but he knew this was different. Her eyes told it all. Usually even in the midst of whatever she was facing, Akemi's eyes had still held a fierce determination, but now even that was gone.

'_I'll find a way to get you out of this Akemi, I promise.' _He thought with a sense of determination he had never felt before.


	4. Escape to Die?

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**~Escape to Die?~**

"That looks like boar piss." Akemi said as she looked into the bowl that had been placed before her. "Judging by the smell I doubt it taste any better."

"Perhaps but it will keep your horm- something from rising so that you can't get pupped." Raiku said his voice quiet. "And keep your voice down; do you want to wake up the whole tribe?"

"Sorry." She said lowering her voice and looking from her friend back to the bowl and picking it up. "Well here goes nothing." She said tilting her head back and drinking the potion. Immediately she began to lower the bowl her gag reflex kicking in and rejecting the liquid.

Raiku was the one that put his hand on the bowl and kept it to her lips while rubbing down her back. "Come on just breathe and drink it all. Our plan isn't going to work if you don't drink it." He said softly coaxing her into drinking the rest of the potion. Once the bowl was clear he removed his hand and stepped back, watching her carefully. "Do you feel any different?"

"I feel sick because of the piss you just made me drink." She snapped and sighed. "But otherwise no I don't. Are you sure you got the right one?"

"That's the one the head elder brought to my father's den for tomorrow's ceremony." He said looking around.

They were on the edge of the den circle, just outside of the omegas' den.

"Well then let's just hope that it works." She answered her eyes also going around. "Tell me the plan one more time."

"You already know it." Raiku said but continued on anyway. "You take the path to the river used for cleaning pelts, with these." He motioned to the small bundle of furs he had brought. "Once there you get in the river and go as upstream until you reach the western border, the water will hide your scent. Don't get out before them. The tribe will look for you but they cannot cross the border without a good reason, so long as they don't pick up your scent around the border they won't cross. Stay in the east until I come and get you. It's going to take a while, but I will become leader one day so that you can come back."

"You never wanted to be leader." She reminded him.

"I never had a reason to be before. Now I do." He said with a saddened look. "Don't forget to leave some blood around the pelts, so that everyone will think you were attacked. Are you sure you don't want me to tell Spring? She's going to be devastated if she thinks you died."

"I'm sure. I don't want my mother getting dragged into this. I rather she thinks I'm dead than know the truth." Akemi sighed, wishing she could tell her mother goodbye before she left for who knows how long.

"Here, take these." Raiku said handing her two small daggers, with worn leather sheathes. They were old and had obviously seen better days, but the edge was still relatively sharp and they could function. "They were all I could get from the training pile without anyone noticing."

"Thank you Raiku, I won't forget what you're doing for me." She said throwing her arms around the only friend she had ever had. He seemed hesitant but he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her against him. They stayed like that for a few moments before stepping apart.

"It's time you got going, the night guard should be returning soon and the morning guard will be waking." He said.

She nodded, placed the daggers at her side and picked up the pile of furs. With one last look around the place she had called home for a century, she walked out of the camp at a brisk pace. As she went she was unaware of the pair of brown eyes that stayed sadly locked on her form until she was from sight.

**xXx**

As Akemi came upon the river hadn't ever been so happy to see the thing. Dumping the furs beside the waters, she unsheathed one of the daggers Raiku had given her and she checked around to make sure no one else was around. When she was satisfied with her surroundings she brought the dagger across her upper left arm. A small growl made it through her clenched teeth as she cut through her own skin. Once she felt he blood bubbling to the surface she removed the dagger and angled her cut arm over the furs and the surrounding grass.

'_That should be enough.' _She thought going over to the river, creating a blood trail. Knowing the water was going to be freezing in the cold fall night, she jumped straight in, the water stinging like a thousand tiny needles of ice.

Akemi let the water clean her cut and her dagger, before sheathing the weapon and began going upstream. She cast a look up at the dark sky that only had the shining light of the stars and a slit of the moon left signaling the approaching new moon night. The half-demon knew that she had to move fast. Thankfully their tribe was located on the edges of the western lands and even at her fastest pace it would take a day or two to get to the eastern border.

Despite all that her biggest worry was that she had three days before her human night came upon her.

**xXx**

"What do you mean she's gone?!"

Raiku watched as his father paced around the anger from the elder wolf demon like a fog in the den.

"I found traces of her blood by the river along with some unwashed pelts." He responded.

"Did you find any other traces of blood?" His father asked.

"No." Raiku said.

"Of course, I don't know why I asked. That half demon bitch wouldn't know what to do if she was attacked." Raiku's father muttered and Raiku had to keep himself for speaking up for his friend. "What about scents? While I don't care for the half demon, I can't have rouge demons or other clans thinking they can just attack my tribe."

"No other scents were found. It must have been a powerful demon capable of hiding its presence and snuck up upon her. Even if she couldn't fight I'm sure she would have screamed if she saw her attacker coming." Raiku kept his voice level as he felt his father eye him. He knew his father was not an idiot, the story Raiku had hastily put together had a few holes. To cover gaps in the story, Raiku continued. "Why do you think a demon would attack Akemi or get this close to the tribe without attacking the rest of us?"

His father gave him another quick look before shrugging and starting to pace again. "It probably sensed the weak half demon and though it would be easy prey, which apparently it was. But that is none of my concern or care. What I do care for is that I promised the tribe a Doqia and they were expecting to get one."

"I think the tribe will understand that Akemi's death was an unfortunate and unseen event." Raiku responded, inwardly feeling resentment at his father's easy dismissal of Akemi. "How many do you want to send out to look for her?"

"Why would I send anyone out to look for her? She's dead isn't she?" His father seemed genuinely confused as to why he should send anyone.

"What about to look for a body? To give something Spring something to grieve over?" Raiku said through clenched fangs.

"Spring will get over it, it's not like she's Akemi's real mother." His father said and turned when Raiku gasped. "I suppose the two of you didn't know that."

"What do you mean? Spring is Akemi's mother and her father was human." Raiku interjected.

"No the half-breed was born of a wolf demon male and a human woman." His father said again speaking as if the news were not as important. "Spring merely cared for her."

"Akemi doesn't know that. She thinks Spring is her birth mother." Raiku countered.

"So? She's dead now so it doesn't make much a difference does it." His father's dismissing tone almost had Raiku leaping at him. Instead his mind began to connect the pieces.

"That alpha that was banished was her real father, wasn't he?" Raiku asked.

"Yes he was and now we've rid the tribe of both, the half-breed and the human lover." His father said going to the entrance to the cave. "Enough talk about such lowly creatures, I will inform the tribe of what you have told me. Perhaps I will send word to the north or the east to see if they have any female omegas."

Raiku watched his father leave and let out a long held growl of frustration. Sure he had figured his father wouldn't care as much as he did that Akemi was gone, but he hadn't expected him to totally dismiss it. He paced around the inside of the cave trying to calm down. It wouldn't do him any good for the tribe to see him this upset over her death if his own father didn't seem to have a drop of sympathy about it. As he thought it over he began to realize perhaps this wasn't completely a bad thing. If his father and the tribe did not care, then they wouldn't be looking for her.

Akemi could stay hidden until he came for her without worry of being hunted down. He only hoped that she stayed safe until the time came for him to get her.

**xXx**

"Is she dead?" A small voice asked from the safety of being on the back of a giant two-tailed feline.

"Don't get too close Kagome." An older male called out the woman whose clothing did not match those of her companions.

"Don't worry Inuyasha; I don't think this woman is in any condition to attack me." The one called Kagome responded. "Besides Inuyasha I don't think you're in any condition complain." She looked over her shoulder at the dark haired male standing behind her clad in red.

"I don't see why you want to help her, she's just another dead human probably killed by a demon and left here." The red clad male responded.

"But look at what she's wearing. She's dressed in furs like those wore by wolf demons, and if I remember correctly black was the color of the western wolf tribe." A woman carrying a large bone boomerang spoke from beside the two tailed cat. "Don't you think it's rather strange that a human woman shows up on the river in the southern lands wearing furs of the western wolf tribe?"

"I think it's none of our business so let's go." Inuyasha responded.

"Sango, I believe our short-tempered friend is simply nervous as it is his human night." A monk stated looking between his other companions.

"Shut it Miroku." Inuyasha snapped at the monk before turning back to the strangely dressed girl. "Come on Kagome we need to find a place to spend the night before it gets too dark, we can make it to Kaede's if we go now."

"She's breathing!" Kagome shouted getting the attention of the ones around her. "We have to help her."

"Kilala help us get her out of the river, and then we can take her to Kaede's with us." Sango requested of their feline companion. She was answered with a small growl as the feline moved forward to grasp the unconscious woman by the back of her pelts and pulled her free of the water.

"I'll help you ladies." Miroku said moving forward only to be stopped by a glare from both women.

"Don't try it pervert." Sango growled at the monk. She and Kagome worked to lift the woman onto the giant cat's back. Once she secured Sango climbed up behind her to keep the lady from falling off. "I'm going to go ahead. No doubt she's probably freezing and if she doesn't already have one she will be very vulnerable to catching a fever. I'll come back once I get her to Kaede's."

"Ok, we'll start heading for the village." Kagome said.

The feline gave a roar as flames engulfed its' paws and it jumped into the sky. The cat and its occupants took off into the already dark skies.

"Great now the only two demons are gone along with the best fighter out of the three of you." Inuyasha grumbled as he started treading towards the before mentioned village.

"What was that?" Kagome asked to the still grumbling male as she and the monk followed. "Sit!"

The grumbling male in red was silenced as the beads around his neck let out a glow before dragging him into the ground with a thud.

**xXx**

Akemi came awake to the sounds of people moving around her rapidly and seemingly in a hurry. She was still a little out of it, unable to open her eyes or move her limbs, but she could hear and sense the others in the room. There were at least five other people in the room, some of which had demonic auras and a strange feeling that she hadn't felt before but it disturbed her aura.

"Get back she's a demon! She's probably pretended to be an injured human to trick us into bringing her to the village." A voice was snarling.

"If she was going to attack us, don't you think she would have done it while we were all asleep? Besides she's still unconscious." Another voice, more feminine sounding responded. "I think she may be a half demon and last night was her human night."

"That would explain her clothing. She must be of the western wolf tribe." Another female remarked.

"Then what is she doing here?" A male voice said.

Growing tired of this group of people talking about her as if she were not there, Akemi attempted to open her eyes and get up. Still her body was unresponsive and she was unable to do either. She let out a growl of frustration, immediately earning the attention of the others in the room. Suddenly she felt something sharp at her neck.

"Don't you dare try to attack demon or I will kill you." The first voice from before growled back, and Akemi assumed they were the one holding the blade to her neck.

Fear spiked adrenaline rushed through her veins giving power to before useless body. Her eyes snapped open only to shut again from the sudden onslaught of light. The second time she opened them a little more slowly and was met with a lot of red. Her vision took its sweet time sharpening as she looked around the room only getting blurry hints of the people around her.

"I think she's waking up, Inuyasha get back you're probably scaring her." A white and green blur spoke to the red one.

"I'm making sure that she doesn't jump up and attack, I'm still not convinced that this isn't an act." The red blur, or Inuyasha, said and did not move.

"I…I do not mean you or your pack any harm." She said, her voice sounding hoarse to her own ears. "I would simply like to know where I am." As she spoke her vision continued to clear so that she could make out exactly who was in the room.

What she got was a surprise. Three humans, a fox demon kit, a small cat demon and a dog demon. Wait, no, the dog demon was only a half demon.

"How can we trust you?" Inuyasha snapped at her.

"You can't until I prove that I am to be trusted." Akemi said, growing tired of the sword at her throat, but not daring to move. "For now all you have is my word that I will not attack any of you."

"I believe her, Inuyasha move." The girl in the very strange clothing said. When the half demon looked ready to argue with her she leveled him with a glare. "Don't make me say it."

With a final glare the half demon stepped back, but kept his sword at the ready, which was fine with Akemi.

Slowly she sat up, her body still feeling like dead weight, but at least she could move it. She was surprised to feel two sets of hands helping her sit up. To her right was the girl in the strange clothes and to her right was the other woman dressed in a green skirt with a giant boomerang on her back.

"Thank you." Akemi mumbled as she looked around. "Could you please tell me where I am?"

"You're in Lady Kaede's hut." The strangely dressed girl answered.

Akemi thought through the limited villages she had heard of and this wasn't on the list.

"Which land is this?" She asked.

The girl in white and green seemed confused but thankfully the woman with the boomerang seemed to know what she meant.

"We are in the eastern lands." She answered.

"How far from the border is this?" Akemi questioned.

"We are less than half a days' walk at a normal pace." The one with the boomerang answered. "Do you need help getting back to the western lands?"

"No!" Akemi responded a bit too sharply, earning startled glances from the woman and the half demon to clutch his sword tighter. "I'm sorry, but no I will not be returning to the western lands. I thank you for whatever assistance you have offered." She began to stand only to feel a bit shaky.

"Wait, you've been unconscious for two days. Maybe you should take it easy." The girl in the strange clothing said.

As much as Akemi would have preferred to leave, it was clear that she was in no condition to go running off. For now she could wait here until she was better, rather than chance being captured by those searching for her in this state.

"Who are you?" Akemi asked looking around at the group.

"I'm Kagome." The girl in the strange clothes said. "This is Sango," she pointed to the one with the boomerang, "her companion Kilala", she pointed to the two tailed cat. "That's Miroku", she motioned to the one dressed in black and purple robes, "Shippo is the one on his shoulder", the small fox kit, "and the grumpy one over there is Inuyasha", the half demon.

"It is nice to meet you all." She said still wondering what such an odd group of people were doing together. Looking between the ones called Kagome and Miroku she still couldn't shake the sort of tingling they gave off. "The two of you," she started pointing to the two, "you're not normal humans. There is something different about you and the weapon she carries." She finished speaking by pointing to the boomerang Sango had.

The girl, Kagome, seemed confused but spoke up anyway. "Well I'm a priestess, or at least training to be one, and Miroku is a monk. Sango is a demon slayer and her weapon is made from demon bones."

The words sunk into Akemi and her eyes widened. She knew what the feeling was. She had been told about humans such as these. Priestess and monks had spiritual powers that they used to kill demons and while demon slayers did not possess these special traits, they still excelled in hunting down and killing demons.

She jumped up faster than she knew she could in her current state and began backing up. "Please don't kill me; I'm just a half demon. I swear I have never laid a claw on a human, I've never even seen one up close until now."

As she looked at the humans standing around her she couldn't help but think if staying with the tribe might not have been as bad as this. With the tribe she knew what was coming, no matter how much she did not wish for it to happen. Were these humans keeping her alive so that they could hunt her down for sport once she was well? And what of the two demons and the half demon; were they captives of these humans too?


	5. The Plot Thickens

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**~The Plot Thickens~**

"Will you truly not send at least one out to look for Akemi?" Raiku was asking of his father for perhaps the tenth time in the two days since her disappearance.

"Why do you care so much for the location of the half demon bitch?" His father asked, with narrowed eyes.

"Half demon or not, she is a member of this tribe." He responded his anger and annoyance at his father's non-caring attitude peaking.

"An unwanted member, whose presence served as nothing but a terrible reminder of what the clan had lost." Naru said rolling his eyes. "You'll understand when you become leader."

"What good is a leader that cannot locate one of their own? Will not the other tribes look down upon us for not being able to protect our own?" Raiku said deciding on taking a different approach. Clearly trying to get his father to care personally about Akemi's disappearance was pointless, but he knew his father cared deeply about how the other clans viewed them.

"Wait…" His father said with a spark of excitement in his brown eyes. "Say that again."

"I said what good is a leader that cannot locate one of their own? Will the …" Raiku was cut off by his father.

"You're right. A leader that cannot find one of their subjects will be looked down on and could easily be overthrown once his subjects lose faith in him." Raiku got the feeling that his father was no longer talking about finding Akemi. "It's perfect."

"You've thought of something." Raiku said dryly.

"Indeed I have. That damn half demon may finally be useful for something." Naru's fangs glittered in the dying sunlight as he smiled. Raiku only offered a raised eyebrow in response. "We will petition Lord Sesshomaru to find the half demon. We are his subjects and it is the duty of a lord to serve his subjects."

"If you, the tribe leader, will not look for one of your own, what makes you think Lord Sesshomaru will? His hatred of half-demons is wide known despite his half-breed brother." Raiku questioned.

"He may hate half-demons but even he is bound by law. It is his duty to help his subjects. Having one of our own kidnapped or killed by another of the western lands is something he has to resolve." His father responded beginning to pace.

"Why ask Lord Sesshomaru instead of sending our own?" Raiku was on the boarder of shouting at his father.

"Because, but of course, the possible outcomes. If Lord Sesshomaru refuses to look for the half-demon then he will be seen as unfit to be leader, because he will not help those who have faithfully served him. If Lord Sesshomaru accepts and goes off looking for the half-demon, it is unlikely he will find her alive, and thus it will make him appear weak and unable to protect his subjects." Naru said looking towards Raiku as if the whole thing now made sense. When his son gave a 'and' look in question, Naru sighed and continued speaking. "Either way, civil unrest will grow questioning Lord Sesshomaru's ability to lead the western lands. I already know of some other tribe and clans willing to create an uprising to over throw him. Once Sesshomaru is dethroned and killed, the most powerful clan will then take over, and that is us." His father finished in a half sinister, half crazed chuckle.

"Law states that if Sesshomaru steps down or is killed then his next of kin becomes lord. So that means his brother Inuyasha become lord." Raiku said internally seething at his father.

"It will not be hard to convince the subjects of the western lands that a half-demon is not fit to rule, but you do have a point." His father said quietly mulling as he paced. "I'll send out Kovo and Izo to find and kill the half-demon. Like you said, Lord Sesshomaru's hatred for his brother is wide known, so I doubt he'll mind if we take care of him. From what I've heard, Inuyasha is frequently seen around a village in the eastern lands. I can even ask Kouga to help."

"Why would you want to bring Kouga into this scheme?" Raiku made no effort to hide the distaste and dislike for the eastern wolf tribe leader.

"You are not aware of this, but the great elder is proposing a joining of all the tribes." His father said with a dismissing wave of his hand. "He's already begun his plan by declaring that Kouga is to mate his granddaughter Ayame. It is, of course, a ridiculous dream of an old wolf whose time on this side is growing shorter. I wouldn't be surprised if he could see the spirits of the underworld with how near death he is."

"You're rambling father." Raiku interrupted to get his father back on track.

"If we are joined into one tribe, then there can only be one leader." His father said with a shake of his head. "It is no secret who the great elder would want to lead, that is why he is having Kouga mate Ayame. But if I were able to become the new western lord, then they would have to make me leader, because I would rank above them all. Then I would be leader of the western lands and all of the wolf tribes."

"You have yet to explain why you would want Kouga to be a part of this, if you're looking to become leader over him." Raiku said feeling a headache brewing the longer he listened to his father. This conversation needed to end fast so he could get away.

"As a subject of the eastern lands, if Kouga is seen helping in the takeover of the western lands he will be viewed as a traitor and exiled by the eastern lord and I will exile him from the western lands claiming it is his fault the western lands were overthrown and that it was his plan all along. From there it won't be possible for him to become leader when he is banished from two of the four great lands." His father explained.

As much as Raiku hated to admit it, his father's plan was cunning and could easily work. The only flaw was that it predicated on one thing.

"You're entire plan is based on the assumption that Lord Sesshomaru does not find Akemi alive and return her to the tribe." Raiku pointed out.

"Yes, as I said, the half demon is finally proving useful for something." His father said.

"What if she is alive and comes back or Lord Sesshomaru brings her back?" Raiku asked.

His father fell silent and stopped his pacing as he stared at his son as if he had just grown a second tail. Raiku could feel his father's glare and met it with one of his own.

"You have a point. We need ensure that the bitch is dead." His father said decisively. "I will have Izo and Kovo kill her after they have killed the other half demon."

"You would kill one of your own?" Raiku growled through gritted teeth.

"Not I, Izo and Kovo will." His father said. "Then they will be seen as traitors to their own clan, I will banish them, and you will be the only alpha left to take over the leadership when I die."

"They will tell that you ordered it." Raiku objected.

"It will be their word against mine, and as leader my word is law." Noro said with a self-satisfied smirk. "No go and find Izo and Kovo, tell them that I demand their presence." His father said waving his hand with a dismissive wave of his hand. "And send in Yuo, he is fast and I will have him send the message to Kouga."

Raiku gave a slight nod, more out of habit than because of any respect he had for his father. He didn't know exactly how he was going to stop his father's plan on his own. There was only one thing that could stop his father: Akemi returning alive to the tribe.

**xXx**

"We're not going to kill you." Kagome said to the panicked wolf half demon. "We're the ones that helped you, why would you think we're going to kill you."

"Because you are humans trained to kill demons." Akemi responded, her eyes darting between door and the people between her and the exit. There was no way she could get through them and to the door before they got to her. She could most likely break down the wooden wall behind her and get out, but she didn't want to give them more of a reason to kill her by destroying their property. "Plus he's had his sword pointed at me since I woke up." She said trying to sound more confident than she actually felt.

"We won't kill you unless you attack us." Sango said, but Akemi still glanced at the group cautiously.

"How can I trust you? You could be saying that so I lower my guard." Akemi countered.

"It is how you put it." The monk said. "You cannot trust us until we prove ourselves to be trustworthy."

Akemi snorted as the monk used her own words against her. She suppose for now she really didn't have a choice but to trust them. She was outnumbered and she was willing to bet they were more skilled in battle than she was with the limited moves Raiku had shared with her. Searching their eyes and their auras, she couldn't feel the hostility she had grown accustomed to in the tribe, if anything they seemed more curious about her than anything.

"What about him?" She asked motioning to the half-demon who had yet to lower his sword.

"Inuyasha put your sword away. She's not going to hurt us, and we're not going to hurt her." Kagome said, but it wasn't until she leveled him with a knowing glare that he lowered his weapon and sheathed into a sheath that looked way too small for the huge sword.

Akemi let herself relax a little and the others gave her space as if sensing she was still unsure of them. As her adrenaline wore off, she felt her body shutting down on her again and sighed as she sank to her knees, her vision beginning to fade out. Her body shut down before her mind, and she could tell that she had collapsed on the ground. The last thing she heard before she passed out completely was Kagome speaking.

"I think we scared her."

**xXx**

Lord Sesshomaru was not in a good mood.

For Jaken to perceive his lord's ill temper meant that he was angered beyond reasonable bounds to the point where the usually stoic lord was letting the slightest hint of his emotions show. Anger was the only one shown. Jaken knew exactly why his lord was angry. That damn wolf Noro had come before Sesshomaru with a request that was nothing but a trap meant to assault the honor of the western lord.

The wolf had come in an obvious act, pretending to be distraught over the kidnapping of one of his pack members. He had the audacity to ask that Lord Sesshomaru find and return this person, claiming he had been able to locate any leads. It was clear that Noro was planning something, knowing that Lord Sesshomaru could not refuse for it would put a question upon his leadership. Yet all of this was not what had pushed his lord into this permeable, suffocating anger that currently swirled around the dog demon like a dense fog promising pain and death to any foolish enough to get too close. No, the worse part of it all was that this missing wolf was a half-demon!

"Jaken." His lord's cold words snapped the little green servant out of his thoughts.

"Yes milord." He responded with a low bow.

"Take Rin to find something to eat." The dog demon ordered.

"Yes milord." Jaken answered leading the young human girl into the surrounding forest, if he remembered correctly there was a stream they had passed not too long ago. Before they were out of sight he didn't miss his lord walking off with narrowed eyes. It would appear they were being left behind until Lord Sesshomaru chose to return and retrieve them.

**xXx**

Fighting through the black fog back to her body was a feeling Akemi had always hated no matter what the reason. Whether it was in the morning as she woke up from slumber, or times like this when she was coming back from passing out, she couldn't stand it. The time when her mind was responsive but her body lay still, trapping her motionless and speechless was a special kind of hell.

"Look she's coming around again." The higher voice of the fox kit pierced through the haze and she used it as a focus point to help get back to full consciousness.

When she opened her eyes, she wasn't assaulted by brightness as she had been last time. Instead the room was glowing warmly and she could feel heat signaling a fire. Her vision returned faster this time and she was able to sit up without too much trouble. The same group of people was there with the absence of the half demon and the addition of an older human female.

"Child you awake." The older female said and Akemi nodded, casting confused looks towards the others. This woman had the same feel of spiritual powers as the priestess and the monk, but hers was much duller and didn't disturb Akemi's aura as much. The old lady must have sense her unease and spoke again. "I am Kaede, priestess of this village."

"It is nice to meet you elder Kaede." Akemi responded with a nod of her head. Thankfully she could feel that she was mostly healed, with just a bit of soreness left. "How long have I been out this time?" She asked.

"You passed out this morning." Sango answered.

Akemi looked outside to see the sky dark and the stars glittering, meaning she had been out for the whole day.

"I again thank you for your assistance but I need to go." She said remember how close to the western boarder they were.

"Will you please stay at least till morning?" Kagome asked. "I know half-demons heal faster than humans but you've been out for nearly three days."

"Thank you but I really need to go." Akemi said standing. Her muscles trembled in protest, but still carried out her wishes.

"What are you running from?" The monk spoke up and Akemi felt herself stiffen and her ears swivel in his direction, but she didn't turn. When she didn't say anything the demon slayer spoke.

"You didn't pass out because of injuries caused by battle or illness. You passed out because of pure exhaustion, meaning you ran yourself until your body couldn't go anymore. For a half demon to pause out because of exhaustion and take this long to recover, means you were pushing yourself hard. And you were found in a river so soaked through that it was clear you had been running through it for a while, most likely to hide your scent from whoever you're running from." Sango said looking as concerned as the monk had sounded. "Whatever you're running from has to be a demon, or else you wouldn't bother hiding your scent. As you said earlier, we are well trained and skilled in killing demons. We can help you."

Akemi weighted the slayers words and for a brief moment allowed herself to be swept into the fantasy that these people could help her but it was a short lived and above all, a fantasy. There was no way these people, no matter how good, could destroy an entire tribe of wolf demons. Plus, despite what her tribe had done to her she still held a loyalty to them and wouldn't want to see them injured or hurt on her account. Or even worse, that these people might try to return her to her tribe after hearing her story and why she ran.

"I was not running away from anything." She said though she had never been good at lying and could see the doubtful looks she was getting. "I am simply a traveler and forgot the approach of the new moon. Your concern is not needed."

The group of humans gave each other looks that clearly read that they didn't believe her, but thankfully none of them reproached her about her story.

"Then if you have no where you have to be, why don't you stay the night so you can get a fresh start in the morning?" Kagome asked softly.

Akemi really wished that she could stay and let herself heal a little more, but she knew that the longer she stayed the closer her tribe got to finding her. Also, with her black fur, hair and pelts it was better for her to travel at night where she would blend in better.

"I have a friend who is expecting me and I have already lost enough time as it is." She said and felt relieved that it wasn't a complete lie like she had told before.

"Ok, if you ever need anything, you can always find us here. We travel a lot but we always come back here eventually." Sango said and Akemi nodded.

"Perhaps our paths will cross again." Akemi responded. Since she was forced to wander around aimlessly until Raiku came and they traveled a lot she got the feeling that they would meet again. With one last bow to the group she left the hut.

"They know you're lying." Akemi nearly jumped and felt her ears shoot up in surprise and her tail fluff, as the half demon was suddenly before her. "You're not very good at it and I can smell the fear radiating off of you and it has nothing to do with us."

She weighted the option of lying to the other half-demon and decided against it. As he had said he could smell her fear and she was not very good at lying. Instead she opted for the more reasonable and hopefully easier approach. "I would ask a favor of you and your pack then." She started and continued when he only gave a small grunt. "If any come by searching for me, I ask you not tell them that you have seen me."

"These people or whatever it is looking for you, will they attack us trying to find you?" He asked. "If we are attacked because of you, I will hunt you down myself."

"I understand and I do not wish any harm to befall your pack because of me." She answered. "No harm should come to you because of me and if it does I shall take full responsibility."

"I'll hold you to that." He said and she began to walk past him. "I'll tell the others not to say anything about seeing you." He said and she turned around with a confused look, she hadn't expected him to agree. "I know what it's like to be a half demon so yea." He added before going back into the hut looking uncomfortable.

"Thank you." Akemi said, knowing he could still hear her. With one last look at the dimly lit hut she looked up at the crescent moon hanging above her. She gave a silent prayer to the Moon Mother before taking off running northeast and disappearing into the surrounding forest.


	6. The Silver Shadow

**Howdy!**

**Thanks for the reviews! Keep them coming please.**

**Not a lot to say.**

**So I bring you the next chapter of 'Alphas and Omegas'.**

**Enjoy! ^^**

* * *

**~The Silver Shadow~**

One Year Later

"Inuyasha we've been traveling for a whole day straight, we need to rest." Kagome said to the stubborn half demon walking ahead of her.

"We rest, when I say we rest." He huffed back, his arms crossed over his chest. "And we've only been traveling since sunrise, the sun is barely setting." He added as an afterthought.

"Inuyasha." Kagome responded in a tone every one in their little group knew well.

"Fine we can stop." He said hiding the shiver that went through as he silently hoped she wouldn't use the dreaded beads around his neck.

"There is a village not too far from here, Kagome. If you think you can make it, we should come upon it in just short of an hour." Sango suggested.

At the mention of a village, Kagome's entire mood took a turn for the better. The thought of not having to sleep outdoors, being able to eat more than the snacks she had brought back from her time, and the thought to of a bath put a skip in her step as she increased her walking speed.

The group made it to the village in just short of an hour as Sango had predicted, and by then everyone was tired even the half demon who wouldn't admit his fatigue.

"Halt!" A guard called out as he stood at what appeared to be the main entrance to the village. "State your business here."

Miroku stepped forward and Kagome couldn't help but sigh as she watched him. She didn't approve of his methods, but if it was the difference between her not sleeping outside she would overlook it, again.

"My good fellow, we are a group of traveling demon slayers, ridding troubled villages of their problems." Miroku said with a flourish. "I am a monk and sense a demonic presence hanging over this village. My companions and I would be happy rid you of the presence, and all we ask in return in a room to stay in."

The guard became upset and pointed his spear towards Miroku. Inuyasha's hand went to the hilt of his sword and the rest of the group likewise prepared for a confrontation.

"We can of course come to a different agreement." Miroku said as he took a step back.

"We are a village that welcomes all visitors. You and your companions are welcome to stay here. But the presence you feel is that of this village's guardian wolf spirit, if you try to bring any harm to our guardian, you will not be spared." The guard said and when Miroku nodded he lifted the spear back into its' original position at his shoulder. "Then welcome to our village travelers. Our inn is at the back western corner of the village. You'll notice it by the steam coming from the hot spring behind it."

"Oh yay, I'll finally have a good, hot bath tonight." Kagome said as she pushed her way forward to enter the village.

"Wait!" The guard called and Kagome groaned as she stopped. "It is wide known that wolves and dogs do not get along, nor do felines get along with canines. You can stay but the dog demon and the cat demon must stay outside. We do not wish to anger the generous wolf spirit that has chosen to protect us."

Sango and Kagome exchanged unsure looks as they looked to their in question companions. As much as Kagome wanted to stay in the village, she didn't think it fair to leave their friends outside while they enjoyed a nice room and amenities.

"Whatever, I rather sleep outside anyway." The half-demon said with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Kilala let out a mew and jumped onto Inuyasha's shoulder to show that she too was fine with sleeping outside.

"Are you guys are sure?" Sango said hesitantly. When Inuyasha gave a huff and Kilala another mew, she nodded. "We'll see you in the morning." She and the others followed Kagome into the village while the guard kept an eye on the two forbidden from entering.

"Let's find somewhere to sleep." Inuyasha said to the cat demon on his shoulder and took off walking into the surrounding trees.

**xXx**

"One, wait no two, no three. Yea feels like three." Akemi pondered aloud as she stirred for the night at the feeling of three demonic presences closing in on the village she stayed near. Only one of the auras felt as if it could be a threat, but by now she knew better than to go off of first impressions. She gave a quick stretch her eyes taking in the cave she had been staying in for the past year or so.

It was an ordinary cave standing out no more than any other from the outside. Inside it broke off into two tunnels, one that led to where she slept and another that led to an underground stream. The one she slept in was filled with pelts, a small fire pit, and a few herbs known for their healing qualities.

Briefly she poked her head outside to the entrance of the cave, the black triangles on her head swiveling to pick up any unusual sounds. Satisfied with her surroundings, she proceeded fully out of the cave. She walked to a slab of stone that served as a makeshift altar that some of the villagers had set up.

Starting about seven moons ago the villagers had begun to leave offerings of meat and hides and occasionally come coins. Akemi guessed it was because of the weak demon she had killed which had apparently been bothering the village.

The sad part was she didn't even remember killing the thing, just waking up beside its very still body. There hadn't been any signs of a struggle or fight, just a very still, very dead demon. She wasn't even sure she was the one that killed it.

But the food and pelts were nice and sorely needed. Her hunting and survival skills when she had first started were terrible to put it nicely. Nearly a century of only washing dirty pelts and skinning the kills of others apparently didn't give her the skills needed to make it on her own.

This time the villagers had left a young boar. She could skin and cook it later, for now she felt like taking a run through the woods. The second night full moon, when it was at its brightest and highest, was tonight and she could feel the excess energy already pouring into her veins, even though the sun had yet to go completely down.

She took off for the village, doing her nightly ritual of scouting in a circle around the village to check for any demons that may be straying too close. Fortunately this had become more of a formality. Since that demon, she may or may not have killed, had been eliminated no other demons had dared come close to the village. She was well aware of the name that had spread throughout the surrounding area, referring to her, and that name kept her and by extension her village safe.

**xXx**

"I'm interested to know more about this wolf spirit you told us about." Sango questioned the owner of the inn. She and her companions had already bathed and were currently sitting with the owner and his wife. "I've never heard of a wolf spirit that was friendly to humans, and especially not one that protects them. Other types, yes, but wolf spirits are generally vicious by nature. Or so I had heard."

"You are a demon slayer, are you not?" The owner of the inn asked with a knowing smile. When Sango nodded, he continued. "Then I am not surprised by your assumption. To be honest, that is what all of the villagers had thought when the spirit first came to inhabit the forest just outside out borders. But she has never shown any desire to hurt us, and she killed a weasel demon that had long been plaguing our village."

"So you have seen this spirit?" Miroku asked with a clear amount of skepticism in his voice.

"Alas we have not." The owner said with a shake of his head.

"Then how do you know it is a spirit and not a demon?" Miroku prompted.

"Demons have never been generous. We are told you travel with demons, but even you must know that most demons are not to be trusted and would not protect a human village." The owner stated.

"How do you know it is a she?" Kagome asked.

"Some of the villagers say they have seen her though there has never been any proof. Their stories are often different from each other, though they all agree on two things, one of which is that the spirit is female." The wife of the owner said, and as if predicting the next question she added. "We assume it is a wolf, because on the second night of the full moon we always her here call. It is sad howl though, as if she is lonely."

"Lonely?" Sango asked. "I have never known a spirit to be lonely."

"Don't mind my wife; she has a head full of bees." The owner of the inn said with a hearty chuckle.

"Does the spirit have a name?" Sango questioned.

"I am sure she has a given name, but since we do not know it we call her our Shirubāshadō."

"Silver Shadow." Miroku said. "An interesting name for a spirit."

"Yes it is the only other thing that all who claims to have seen her agree on, she has silver eyes." The owner said.

Further conversation was interrupted as the sounds of people passing by were heard. The voices were joyous shouts and sounded as if they were preparing for something. One of the villagers entered the inn and talked in an excited whisper to the owner. The owner smiled and handed over a small pouch to the villager who left with a bow to join the rest that were passing by. Seeing the questioning gaze of the visitors the owner cleared his throat to explain.

"It is the second night of the full moon. Tonight our spirit will give its call and we honor her by lighting a blaze in the middle of town. Each villager gives something to be offered up. I offer up incense to carry the scent of thanks to our Shirubāshadō." The owner said.

"And they are also to keep the spirit calm and ease her loneliness." The owner's wife added, while her husband gave an exacerbated sigh. "You are welcome to join us. There will be a feast."

"Sounds great." Kagome said with a smile as her and the others stood and followed the owner and his wife out of the inn.

**xXx**

Akemi gave a small smile that showed just the hint of fang as basked in the moon and all of its brightness. Her eyes closed as she felt the energy of a thousand packs racing through her blood. She loved this time, when the moon lent its strength to wolf demons everywhere. It was a time when she had felt like a true member of her pack.

One the second night of the full moon she was a full demon.

"If only Raiku were here, he always loved seeing me like this." She whispered to the moon. Though she couldn't see herself, she knew after many years what she looked like on this night.

Her eyes would go from their usual bright blue to a brighter, pupil-less silver. The two triangles on top of her head were temporarily gone and she had pointed ears like a true full demon. Her black hair was now a dark blue that could only be seen in the moonlight. She knew her nails and fangs were sharper and longer.

A lack of reflective surfaces was only part of the reason she could not see herself. The real reason, something she had never told anyone including Raiku, was that on these nights when she became like her pack mates, she was blind. As the moon came up, she was plunged into a world of darkness. Yet she had never feared this, even when she was younger. Instead she felt more comfortable in the darkness as if it were home for her. Never did she have to worry about getting around in her blindness. It was hard to explain but it was if shadows were guiding her during this time, and plus her other senses were sharper.

A rustling a few miles away caught her attention and she reminded herself that there were unknown demons in her forest and close to her village. It seemed as if one had managed to get in the village, most likely under some kind of disguise or spell. The other two were still in the forest and Akemi guessed they were going to wait until the villagers were asleep to strike. Thankfully the villagers stayed up late on these nights and lit some kind of flame from what she could smell. She jumped so that she was standing on top of the cave she now called home. It took only a few seconds her ears and her shadow senses to tell her where the demons were.

Akemi let out a howl, this one different than the others. Normally her howls were sad, a calling to the pack she missed. But tonight her howl was laced with excitement at the thought of a fight. She startled even herself at the ferocity behind her howl. Omegas were cowards by birth, but there was no denying the way her blood pumped in anticipation.

"What the hell was that?" One of the demons said, and Akemi tilted her head to the side slightly in confusion. The voice was familiar, and now that she thought about it so was the scent.

She shook it off. It was probably some demon she had scared off returning to try again. The scent of burning wood and other things reached her, signaling that the villagers had lit their flame. When she turned her attention back to the two demons she noted that their scents were getting closer as if they were coming to look for her.

That was fine by her, even though she liked a hunt, she didn't mind having her prey come to her.

**xXx**

"I don't care what those crazy villagers say. That aint no spirit, that's a demon." Inuyasha grumbled to the feline on his shoulder. "Did you hear that howl; I think it's going to attack the village. The damn thing has probably been pretending to protect the village, so they would let their guard down and it worked."

Kilala gave a mew of agreement, her red eyes scanning the trees for signs of this mystery demon.

"There it is." Inuyasha said as he came to a stop, sticking close to a tree. Just a few feet from them was the demon crouching on top of what looked to be a cave. Her eyes were gazing at the moon and they couldn't tell what color they were, and her hair looked black until the wind rustled some of the strands revealing the dark blue tint in the glow of the moon.

Something about the demon seemed familiar, as Inuyasha's eyes looked over the black fur pelts she wore and the black tail that was curled beside her. But before he could think too hard on it, her head tilted as if she was listening to something, and then her eyes turned towards him. The silver gaze was so hard that it was as if she were locked on his eyes, though it was impossible she could see him from such as distance and in the shadow of the trees.

"Come out half demon and I may go easy on you and your partner. Only cowards hide." She said in a calm voice, and Inuyasha narrowed his eyes.

So she had seen him. Seeing no reason to continue hiding he stepped out so that he was fully in the moonlight.

"I will warn you only once. Leave this forest and bring no harm to this village." She said, though the way she flexed her claws, it looked as if she were itching for a fight. Something he didn't mind in the slightest.

"I know what you're up to demon." Inuyasha shouted back and the demon tilted her head as if in confusion. "You're just trying to gain the trust of the villagers so you can attack when their guard is down." He heard her scoff which only served to aggravate his temper.

"Go away half demon. My village and my intentions are not your concern." She replied in a flat voice as if annoyed by the conversation.

"I'm not going to let you kill a bunch of innocent humans for your own twisted game." He said.

"I am the protector of this village." She growled.

"Yea right." He unsheathed Tessiaga, and pointed the tip of the blade at the demon. "You leave this village or I'm going to kill you."

"As if you could." The demon mocked, still not moving from her crouched position.

Clearly she wasn't taking the half demon seriously and Inuyasha let out a growl. Without another word and menace laced growl he jumped at the demon, bringing his sword in side slash. The demoness never broke eye contract with him as she crouched even lower so that she was on all fours, and the attack went over her, to where her head had just been.

Before the half demon could recover, she sprung herself forward. Her arms gripped around his waist and she propelled them towards the trees, not letting go until the half demon had slammed into a tree. She released just before he hit and jumped back a few feet, landing in the same crouch she had started off in.

"That the best you have?" She taunted him. She bunched her muscles again to attack the still dazed half demon, but a roar from her left halted her.

She turned and Inuyasha noticed how her eyes flickered around wildly even though Kilala, now in her battle form, was only a few feet away from her and in clear view. But somehow after tilting her head in the same way as she had before as if listening to something, she managed to roll out of the way as Kilala pounced at her.

"You're blind aren't you?!" He snarled and could make out the flinch she was clearly trying to suppress. "You are!" He smirked. "This will be easy." He said bracing himself against the tree.

"I don't need sight to defeat you." She snarled, clearly now as angry as he was.

Again Inuyasha lifted Tessiaga, but instead of charging in he lifted it above his head and focused on the mystery demon's aura. "Wind Scar!" He growled as he brought the sword in an arc down.

**xXx**

"That didn't sound lonely to me." Kagome said to the inn keeper's wife as she watched some of the children dance around the fire.

"That was not her normal call." The old woman responded.

"She's right that was fierce and even a bit frightening, much more aggressive than normal." The inn keeper said. "You said your friends, a dog demon and a cat demon, are outside. Perhaps they have angered her."

"Kilala would not do anything to your spirit unless the spirit attacked her first." Sango defended.

"What of the other one?" The inn keeper's wife asked.

All four looked at each other with an uncertain look. They all knew Inuyasha was the kind to attack first and ask later, or never.

"Do you think Inuyasha has done something to upset the spirit?" Shippo asked.

Before any could answer, the unmistakable glow of the Wind Scar could be seen, halting the villager's celebration.

"It would appear so." Miroku said.

"We have to go. Thanks for everything." Kagome called to the inn keeper and his wife as they rushed out of the village and towards where they had seen the Wind Scar coming from.

**xXx**

Four yellow slashes headed for the demoness while her back was still turned. She turned, and Inuyasha smirked knowing it was too late for her to avoid the attack.

"What the hell!" He shouted as the shadow of one of the trees rose into the form of a wolf and charged at the attack. Their collision created a large explosion throwing the demoness, Kilala and himself into different directions.

He could see the wolf demon get thrown into the side of her cave and slump down only a split second before he felt himself go head first into a tree.

The last thing he saw before he passed out was what looked to be a black wolf standing over the demoness.


	7. All Bark No More Bite

**Howdy!**

**Yes I know it has been hella long since I've updated this and I can't lie, I don't have a good excuse just been lazy lately. I'm sorry and I am trying very hard to maintain a focus to bring you the stories you love.**

**Thanks for the reviews I love getting them.**

**Without further ado I bring you the next chapter of 'Alphas and Omegas'!**

**Enjoy! ^^**

* * *

**~All Bark No More Bite~**

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted.

She rushed forward seeing a pile of red and silver at the base of a tree as the group entered the forest where they had seen the Wind Scar.

The half demon didn't respond as he lay unconscious, Tessiaga lying by his side in its rusted form.

"I found Kilala." Shippo called out from a little ways off, drawing the attention of the group.

Sango followed the fox kit's voice and returned shortly with the small, unconscious neko demon in her arms. "What happened to knock both of them out like this?"

"It would appear they came across the Shirubāshadō, though I sense that this is a demon and not a spirit." Miroku answered as he stood a few feet away from a slumped figure leaning against the side of a cave.

"Should we kill it?" Shippo questioned.

"If it attacked Inuyasha and Kilala first, it could be an evil demon. But we all know Inuyasha has a habit of attacking or provoking demons, and she may truly be the protector of this village." Sango said looking between the three unconscious demons.

"So what should we do?" Shippo asked.

"We have no choice but to wait until they wake up, and then go from there." Miroku said pulling two extra sets of prayer beads and a sutra from his robe. "But to be safe, I'll bind the demon until we know what to do." He chanted a few lines before placing the prayer beads around each wrist of the demon and placing the sutra in the center of her back.

"Guess we have to stay out here until they wake up. The villagers won't let us bring two strange demons into their village." Kagome said with a sigh at the thought of having to give up her hopes of sleeping in a comfortable inn for the night.

"Yes. If you ladies would like, I will take first watch and awake you should one or both wake up." Miroku offered.

"Thank you Miroku that would be nice." Kagome answered before unrolling her sleeping bag and settling down for the night. Sango followed her example, though she did shoot the monk a look that promised pain if he tried anything while they were asleep. Shippo curled himself into Kagome's sleeping bag and was soon snoring.

Miroku took a seat on a fallen log facing the mystery demon. He saw no reason to watch over Inuyasha. If the half demon woke up he posed no threat to the group.

**xXx**

Akemi awoke with a start, the memory of the half demon fresh on her mind. She jumped to her feet with snarl, though she had to wait as her nose and the shadows filled her in on what her eyes could not. It was still night time, but morning was fast approaching. If she was going to take care of this half demon it had to be now.

Her nose told her that more people were in the area now, and again they seemed familiar but she could not place the scents. Instead she let out a warning growl, as all of the newcomers were humans except for what smelled to be a fox kit.

'_What is a fox kit doing traveling with humans?'_ She mentally questioned, but put it off to ponder about later. For now these people were unknowns, and unknowns were threats.

"Leave this forest now and I will spare you." She snarled keeping her voice as low and deadly as she could manage. She knew she was outnumbered, and two of the humans had a strange feeling about them that she felt an instinctual aversion to. All of the humans stirred and she could feel them stand and their gazes on her.

"Are you the Shirubāshadō, guardian of this village?" A male voice asked.

"I am. Are you seeking me?" She responded suspiciously. If these people knew her name, perhaps they were here to challenge or kill her.

"Did you attack our friend?" The same voice questioned.

"What friend?" Akemi snorted back though she could guess who they meant.

"A half demon." The voice responded.

"If you're talking about the loud mutt; then no. I did not attack him. He accused me of planning to destroy the village and then he attacked me. I simply defended myself." She answered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Then we apologize for the misunderstanding." A new, feminine voice responded.

"Whatever, just learn to control your pet." Akemi responded in a huff, before turning away. "Now go away."

"What was that you mangy wolf." The infuriating half demon growled though he sounded groggy like she felt.

"I said the puppy needs to learn to obey his masters." She said with a smirk. If she wasn't going to get a physical fight tonight, she had no problems with a verbal one.

She heard the half demon let off a few choice words before he cracked his knuckles and seemed ready for another go around. Her own claws flexed in anticipation, more than willing to continue their earlier confrontation. A swish of the wind told her the half demon had leapt and was heading in her direction. She jumped up to avoid the attack.

**xXx**

"Sit!" Kagome shouted at the attacking dog demon, bringing him crashing to the ground in mid attack. Miroku sighed as he watched their impulsive friend.

The wolf demon seemed momentarily confused, tilting her head in a listening way before a smirk broke out over her features. "Perhaps you are better trained than I thought." She mocked from the tree branch she had landed on to avoid Inuyasha. "No matter, it simply makes my job easier." She said leaping from the branch towards Inuyasha.

Kagome gasped, to slow to do anything to stop her.

"Down!" Miroku shouted bringing up the hand with the wind tunnel that was wrapped in prayer beads similar to those he had placed around the demoness' wrists.

The beads glowed and brought the demoness' hands behind her back over the sutra and she was dragged down only a few inches short of Inuyasha.

"What the hell?!" She snapped trying to move but being unable to.

"Who's trained now?" Inuyasha scoffed back though he was still pinned down by his own beads.

Both demons leveled glares at each other, each unable to move.

"Miroku how did you do that?" Kagome whispered to the monk.

"It is a spell of subjugation Mushin once gave me, though I have never used it before now." He responded and the wolf demoness growled in his direction.

"Take it off monk." She demanded the 'or else' clear in her tone.

"I cannot." Miroku said clearly unnerved by the glare he was getting from the demon's pupil-less eyes. He spoke quickly as if trying not to further anger the demoness. "Only the original creator of a subjugation spell can release it. I did not create this one, I just merely used it." He clarified.

The demoness was quiet appearing to sense Miroku was being truthful. With a snort she shook her head. "Then who made it?"

"A monk by the name of Mushin." Miroku answered.

"Then you will take me to this monk and you will have him remove it." The demoness said as she stood, the effects of the spell wearing off.

Inuyasha was up as well, glaring daggers at the demoness, though he made no move to physically attack again, since Kagome was leveling him with a glare of her own. Instead he settled for a verbal attack.

"We have better things to do than worry about you." Inuyasha snorted.

"Seeing as you're the reason I'm in this mess, this just became your top priority." The demoness countered, poking a finger in the half-demon's direction.

"Like hell it is, you're on your own." Inuyasha countered.

"Inuyasha she's right." Sango butted in. "You did attack her first and she was merely defending the village. If you hadn't attacked and knocked each other unconscious, Miroku would not have needed to use his beads. We owe it to her to get them taken off. Besides Miroku is the only one who knows where Mushin lives."

The demoness gave a triumphant smirk while Inuyasha adapted a look of disbelief.

"We'll need to go back to Kaede's for supplies first, but then we can head out to find Mushin." Kagome said earning nods from the group.

"Well the sun is already starting to come up, so we might as well get going." Miroku said.

"What?!" The demoness said as she turned her head towards the rising sun, a look of sadness overcoming her features briefly. "Damn." She whispered as the first of the sun rays hit her.

The group looked on in quiet shock as her dark blue hair turned black, her claws and fangs shortened, her pointed ears disappeared to be replaced with two wolf ears on top of her head, and finally her silver pupil-less eyes turned into blue eyes with black pupils.

"You're a half demon?" Sango asked.

The newly transformed wolf half-demon nodded, though her expression was irritated and a bit disappointed.

"Wait!" Kagome shouted causing everyone to turn towards her. "You're the half demon we pulled out of the river almost a year ago."

The wolf half-demon looked puzzled for a moment before she took another sniff of the air and recognition came across her features.

"Of course." She said though her low tone suggested she was talking to herself. "How could I forget such a strange group?"

**xXx**

"You're that weakling who passed out on your human night." Inuyasha said and Akemi rolled her eyes.

"And you're the idiot that attacks for no reason." She countered.

Both half demons' ears flickered back as they growled at each other, yellow glaring at blue and blue glaring at yellow. The priestess must have sensed the growing tension and quickly approaching fight for she stepped between the two.

"Let's start heading for Kaede's. The sooner we get there the sooner we can get to Mushin's and get…uh… sorry I don't remember your name." Kagome said looking a bit embarrassed.

"Akemi." She responded taking her gaze from the half demon and giving a sigh. "Yes, let's go before dog breath finds himself missing an ear."

"What was that?" Inuyasha growled landing in front of her.

"You heard me." She answered.

"Stray."

"Flee-bag."

"Runt."

"Mutt."

"Mangy wolf!"

"Dirty pup!"

As they spoke each half demon moved forward, growling until they were practically nose to nose. Akemi inwardly cursed as she was forced to tilt her head upwards to keep her glare level with Inuyasha's.

"You want to settle this?" Inuyasha growled, placing his hand on the hilt of Tessiaga.

"Sure." She said, her hands twitching in anticipation to grab the knives she kept in her fur, leg wraps.

"Inuyasha." Kagome said in a warning tone causing the dog demon to flinch and take a few steps back.

"Ha." Akemi gloated as she watched the other half demon backing up. "Such an obedient little puppy you are." She taunted.

"Why you!" Inuyasha snarled losing his last strand of patience and charging for the wolf.

"Sit!" Kagome activated the beads around his neck, bringing the half demon crashing down in mid stride. When the female half demon began chuckling, the priestess cast a glance towards her monk companion.

"Down." The monk said with a sigh, and the wolf half demon was silenced as she was again forced down with her hands behind her back.

"It would seem we've gotten ourselves into a…interesting situation." Sango said.

"You mean Inuyasha has gotten us into one." Shippo chipped in, earning a nod from the humans.

"I have a feeling this is going to be a long journey." Kagome added.

**xXx**

Kagome had been right.

Their progress was slow due to the warring half demons. Kagome had thought Inuyasha and Kouga were bad, but these two took the wolf/dog rivalry to a new level. The priestess was fairly sure they would have killed each other by now if it hadn't been for their subjugation spells. Unfortunately it seemed said spells were being used constantly as they traveled and were the main reason behind their slow pace. At their usual pace getting to Kaede's village should have only taken three days, but at their current pace they would be fortunate to make it there in a week.

As the group traveled they were experiencing a rare quiet moment as they walked. Inuyasha and Akemi traveled at the front of the group, though on opposite sides, refusing to look at each other. Their silence was largely in part to the fact that they had their subjugation spells used to break up yet another argument. Given the past few hours, it was safe to assume they would be going at it again soon enough.

"Wait, I sense jewel shards coming this way." Kagome called out, relieved for the distraction. A jewel shard would keep Inuyasha busy which was good since he was the one to start most of the arguments. _'Oh no.'_ The priestess thought as she recognized the two jewel shards heading their way. _'Inuyasha definitely doesn't need to see Kouga now.'_

"Great more stinking wolves." Inuyasha growled drawing Tessiaga.

Kagome noticed that Akemi seemed unfazed by the news of jewel shards, but at the mention of another wolf demon her ears began flicking like Inuyasha's did when he was nervous. She sniffed the surround area before jumping off into the forest, though Kagome noted her aura didn't go far. She didn't have long to think on it as Kouga's familiar whirlwind closed in and then disappeared revealing the eastern wolf tribe leader.

**xXx**

Akemi watched from the branch of a well covered tree, making sure to keep herself completely out of sight. She knew her scent would giver her away, but hopefully if the other wolves couldn't see her they wouldn't think too much of it and assume the scent was from her passing by earlier.

"Kagome, my heart feels lighter just seeing your face." The wolf demon said as he stopped before Kagome and took her hands in his.

"Kouga what are you doing here?" Kagome asked nervously as Inuyasha's growls sounded.

'_That's Kouga? The leader of the eastern wolf tribe?'_ Akemi thought as she watched. _'How do they know him?'_

"I'm here checking on my future mate of course." Kouga responded.

'_What?! He's supposed to be promised to Ayame of the North.'_ Akemi's mind was racing as she watched.

"She aint your mate, wolf." Inuyasha butted in placing himself between Kouga and Kagome breaking their contact.

"I said future mate, mutt." Kouga responded.

"She aint your future mate either." Inuyasha responded standing nearly nose to nose with Koga, both growling and glaring at the other.

"That's not for you to decide." Kouga remarked.

"Oh yea." Inuyasha placed his hand on Tessiaga's hilt.

"Yea." Kouga cracked his knuckles.

Kagome squeezed herself between the two and Akemi had to admit she was brave, or stupid.

"Kouga have you heard of any traces of Naraku?" She asked.

"No, the bastard is doing a better job of hiding himself." Kouga said with a low growl.

"Hey Kouga!" Akemi turned her head at the sound of another voice and saw two other wolf demons running up.

"Ginta, Hakkaku, about time you two caught up." Kouga sneered.

"Not that we don't like seeing Kagome, but you have to meet with Naru in the west." Ginta said through pants.

"Hn." Kouga growled as if the idea wasn't appealing. "You're right." He said before turning back to Kagome. He took her hands in his and gave them a light kiss. "Till we meet again." He gave a final wink before disappearing in a western bound tornado.

"Not again." Hakkaku groaned.

"Kouga wait up." Ginta called out as they chased after their leader.

Akemi waited until they were a safe distance away before returning to the group.

**xXx**

"Where the hell have you been?" Inuyasha snarled towards Akemi his nerves severed after Kouga's little visit.

"I don't have to tell you." Akemi said and Kagome noticed she seemed defensive. "Don't we have a village to be getting to?" Akemi added making it clear she wasn't going to talk about it.

Inuyasha seemed almost disappointed at the lack of fight but he quickly huffed and began walking in the direction of the village.

Though she was curious as to why Akemi had left, Kagome had to admit the silence was nice. Perhaps she would bring it up at a later time as the wolf half demon seemed on edge at the moment.


End file.
